A PHOTO POACHING GUIDE: SLAYER

here's a short guide on to how to buy your way into a large venue's highly restricted photo pit, during a large concert and shoot as many photo's as you want without being arrested and having your gear confiscated. in this case i wanted to shoot photos of Slayer while they where in l.a. at the gibson amphitheater with something other than a point & shoot or a camera phone.

step 1.

buy a general admission ticket ($25)

step 2.

bring cash to the show. it depends on how much it's worth to you, personally to get in a slayer photo pit without being hassled and shut down was worth about $220. but thats just me.

step 3.

bring all your gear to the show and leave it in the car, i suggest at least one camera body, a 24-70mm, and if you can get it a 70-200mm (thanks atiba). two body's with a lens on each is preferable. 

step 4.

go into the show. the earlier the better, i went later and it stressed me the fuck out.

step 5.

during the one of the terrible opening bands intermission's (megadeath), walk out to the smoking areas and look for the guys with ponytails and 5 cameras hanging from their necks. they all hang out together so they're easy to spot. they got the green-light pass your'e looking for.

step 6.

 pick the youngest one of those guys (money usually speaks louder to a younger kid, then a 45 year old dude who is actually getting paid to do this ), and tell him you'll give em cash for his pass, then show him your money.  he's probably gonna trip out, be confused, and question your authenticity, the actual cash in your hand should explain a lot. use small bills cause it looks like your holding more money than you actually are. 

step 7.

buy his pass (like the one below), and go get your camera gear.... because its still in the car

step 8.

get your ass down to the entrance to the photo pit. 

step 9.

 have a plan to lie to every person you meet from here on out. because now your a professional photographer here on a job, and a media pass trumps all other passes. backstage and all access don't have  shit on a media pass. know this, and use it. go everywhere you feel like going, and lie your ass off in the process. security guards are like chicks you meet in a bar, they just wanna be lied to and told a good story. they don't really want to know how retarded you are. things like "im with the band", "i shoot for spin", "im with newsweek", "im tom araya's brother", "i write for penthouse forums", "im a friend of eric clapton" or "time magazine" should be firing out of your mouth at a consistent basis anytime anyone questions who you are.  everyone should be posing for you and handing you free beer at a rapid rate. 

step 10.
 shoot as many goddamned pictures as possible. remember you only get 3 songs in the pit before they kick you out, then you have to use your resources (media pass and lying) to get anywhere else for the rest of the show. enjoy your new found power.

WAR ENSEMBLE 

ARMAND

this guy just wanted a drum stick 

photos: jeff potocar

"YOUR MOM GOES TO COLLEGE"

TOMMY GUERRERO: DECONSTRUCTED

Tommy Guerrero 

We had spent a long day together with Tommy up in SF and the night was winding down.  We said we'd walk to a nearby pub so he jumped on his zip zinger, popped the curb-cut, crossed through the intersection and with a few pushes we saw what we thought was the last of TG.  Full on French exit - no goodbyes.  Nothing.  He made all the lights and banked hard to the left in front of traffic.  It was the full deal.  None of us knew for sure if he'd be back or not.  About 5 minutes or so pass and he cruises right back up to the group. Tommy says to us "Sick! Couldn't pass up bombing that."  We all laughed and told him what we thought. "Ahh no man...I am not that guy" he said. 









Old Skool Decon "S", Slip-On Decon "S" 
Anytime we sit down to design a shoe with someone like Tommy our goal is that when you pick it up you'd say to yourself "oh yeah, I could see him wearing this".  Some of you might associate him exclusively with Adidas, but then you (like us) didn't know that he actually bought all of those himself because he just likes all black leather shoes and nobody makes them.  Seriously, not even Vans ('til now).  It's pretty weird, but true. 

One of my favorite skate videos is The Forties (40's) video called "Amigos". About sixty seconds into it you'll get it. He's wearing Old Skools.  Again, it's all right there and he scored the soundtrack too. 

Keep skating. - Syndicate 

"If you not busy getting gum out of your hair check this out. www.tommyguerrero.com. Thx." - TG 

HOW SOON IS NOW